SRL Ranbaxy, Clinical Reference Laboratories, has announced the successful completion of its 2nd year laboratory re-audit by the College of American Pathologists (CAP).

SRL Ranbaxy in April 2002, was the first laboratory in India to receive accreditation by the CAP, with a distinction. This second year re audit was a follow up on the first audit. SRL had invited the CAP team to inspect its facility, as part of its efforts to constantly upgrade its standards and meet the most the stringent requirements in quality practices, including those of CLIA, NCCLS, CDC, WHO, GCP and GLP.

CAP is a forty-one year old independent body and is today considered to be the ultimate world gold standard in clinical laboratory accreditation. It has accredited over 6000 labs in the United States alone and has also accredited laboratories in twenty-five other countries. India became the 26th country to become a part of this gold standard fraternity, and SRL, the first lab in the country. The CAP is a non-profit making organization and, is the only authority that can conduct such audits, after a change in the law under CLIA (1988), apart from the government.

This two year re-audit, was conducted by a panel of eminent doctors, chiefly from the United States, who unanimously felt that the SRL Ranbaxy facility was at par with some of the best labs in the United States.

According to Dr. Kumudini Mehta, an eminent auditor on the panel, "The audit is not about competition but about improvement. Most organizations are just too uncomfortable about someone else evaluating them. The CAP broadly looks at four areas while evaluating - the laboratory qualifications of the director, Quality Assurance and Quality Control of various tests, safety of lab workers and the continuous participation of the lab with the CAP Proficiency Testing Program and constant improvement in quality. Labs such as SRL Ranbaxy, due to their excellent IT and logistics capability, have provided us with a perspective on the future of Clinical Laboratory Testing facilities in India. It can certainly be said that the SRL Ranbaxy facility is extremely futuristic in terms of technology as well as operations, and is an example worth emulating"

According to Vidur Kaushik, chief executive officer, SRL, "Acquiring the CAP Accreditation stamp two years back was a matter of great pride as it emphasized our commitment to world class gold standards. This kind of endorsement provides greater confidence in the quality of services we provide. The four major requirements entailed answering ten thousand questions that are extensive in content and format. The CAP gives accreditation only after scrutinizing every single aspect of each Lab Medicine discipline in our facility. Most pathology laboratories in India go completely unchecked because all they need is to be registered under the Shops and Establishments Act, equating a pathology laboratory with a shop, and in some states, even this is not needed. We were the first in India to be accredited by the NABL; we were also the first to receive the prestigious CAP accreditation with distinction, and now this second year re-audit has reinforced our commitment towards quality.